When I was in Chicago spectating the marathon in October, I made a decision that I finally wanted to run another marathon. It wasn’t hard, there was a lot of inspiration all around me. I missed the atmosphere and the satisfaction of completing a long-distance race. My next obstacle was choosing a marathon. Here is how I looked at it:

Fall 2016 was out for a full. I’d be 6-8 months postpartum (depending on date of race). After I had Jennie I had ZERO desire to run a full and the half that I ran at 6 months postpartum was less than enjoyable. So I moved on to 2017 and decided the fall and the NYC Marathon would be a good fit. This would give me a lot of time to adjust to my new life and ease my way back into running after baby number two. Perhaps I’ll be able to get one or two great 13.1 training cycles done in the meantime as well.

As many of you know, unfortunately you can just sign up and run the NYC Marathon. There are only a couple of ways to enter (short of running for a charity) and being local to NYC gives me the 9+1 option. That is, one must be a member of New York Road Runners, run 9 of their races and volunteer once in the year preceding the marathon and you will have yourself a guaranteed entry to the marathon. This option is the most desirable because frankly I believe the lottery is a bit of bullshit and not very random but that’s a story for another day (that I might have told already but I’m too tired to look).

I digress! On Saturday 1/9, I ran my first qualifier for my entry to the 2017 NYC Marathon, the Joe Kleinerman 10K. When I signed up, I was NOT looking forward to running 6.2 hilly miles. I’d be just over 31 weeks pregnant and the distance seemed daunting and honestly I was afraid I wouldn’t finish. However, I wanted to try to get at least one qualifying race done before the baby and well, #priorities.

The worries and fears stayed with me until the start of the race. I started a few corrals back than what my bib allowed (an old pace was used automatically when I registered) and because of the crowds I was able (read: was forced) to start at a comfortable pace. After a crowded start and a stressful climb up Harlem Hill I realized I felt pretty well. I didn’t have the usual round ligament or shin pain which was a huge plus.

About 3/4 of a mile later, I literally ran into Beth. If you know me or have run with me, you know I love to chat with friends (or anyone really) while running (casually, of course, racing doesn’t count). I know some people can’t stand that about me LOL. Anyway, I haven’t seen her in a very long time so we used the next 3+ miles to catch up and those miles went by pretty fast! After one last climb up cat hill, the race was basically over and I experienced another proud pregnancy moment! I obviously didn’t finish in record speed but I did finish feeling great and without having to stop to walk even once. Don’t get me wrong, I was happy when it was over and even happier that I don’t have to run that far again until after this baby comes 🙂

Another fun thing from last week, I was featured on Refine’s Instagram account! I am currently participating in the current challenge, which is at least two classes a week (at a reduced rate). I was going once each week but decided to do this until baby comes (or until working out becomes too uncomfortable)!

Yesterday a lot of my friends and twitter friends ran amazing races (NYC Half and Shamrock Half specifically). I was really proud of the fast times especially they trained through this awful winter.

The NYC Half is one of my favorite races. Central Park felt natural, the mile through an empty TImes Square felt serene (and fast), my finish was strong. It was a solid PR for me last year and a confidence booster among the marathon drama I was experiencing.

3/17/13 – one year ago today. What a difference!

For the first time in many months, I started thinking about when I can start running again. It has been a thought pushed very deep into the back of my mind so when it crept forward, I went with it.

I thought about my goal to run a fall marathon (I am currently signed up for Wineglass Marathon on Oct. 5). Pros: I heard it is a great course that produces fast times and you get free champagne at the end. Cons: I am not sure how I will feel post-baby and how much time I will actually have to dedicate my summer to marathon training the way I really want to. I am itching for marathon success (not finishing it success, but a fast ti me success). I’ve said it before that I don’t think my marathon PR reflects my ability as a runner. With that said, I may forgo the fall race and wait until 2015 where I can go into a training cycle with a solid base of distance and speed.

I thought about speed training. I miss the feeling of running to the breaking point in a 5k. This summer I think I will do a bunch of local 5k races to get my endurance back up.

I can’t wait to race a half marathon again. The half is my favorite distance and it shows. I am definitely running at least one fall half marathon (which will be my goal race if I do not run the marathon). I am going to sign up for the Rock ‘n’ Roll Philly half marathon on Sept. 21.

So the marathon is up in the air and the half and shorter distances are confirmed. It excites me to think about running (and racing) again!

I know it is far away, but has anyone decided on a fall goal race yet?

First of all Fizz and I found out we are having a baby GIRL! We only had a boy name picked out so we might need some help with names (more on that later). More importantly, baby bun passed the 20 week anatomy scan with flying colors. Favorite part was seeing the four chambers of the heart and seeing the blood flow in and out through the umbilical cord! So badass.

Moving on. This weekend was fantastic! It was full of exercise and eating and inspiration!

I spent the weekend in a hotel in Times Square with my future mother-in-law, Ruth. It was actually weird being in a hotel in the city I commute to each day but I loved it too. On Saturday morning we got up early to run the Dash to the Finish 5k! After a neck injury in 2011 and the cancelation in 2012, I was excited to finally get to the start of this 5k! It starts at the UN, runs across 42nd Street and up 6th Ave into Central Park and around to the marathon finish line! I have no race plans these days so I started slow and took in the surroundings and listened in to conversations of runners in SO MANY different languages! Very cool. Mid-race I saw GB and Gabby and we chatted and laughed until the finish (official time 27:29).

After class, Ruth and I went to Refine Method (GOOO EXERCISE!) and then ate an amazing lunch at one of the restaurants in Eataly. Then we napped and ate a late Mexican dinner at Patron on 9th Ave. Exercise and eating.

I woke up for an early AM run in Central Park with Michele! We did just about 7 miles together (total mileage 7.75 for my run) and soaked in the glory of the NYC Marathon!

After a shower and some breakfast, Ruth and I went to 110th and 1st to cheer for the race! We had an awesome group and had so much fun cheering for the elites and our friends and for strangers!! I love Meb.

I will post some pictures I took tomorrow at some point but I want to end on one important thing: all marathoners should put their name on their shirt! It is so fun to cheer for you and yell out your name!!!

Congrats to all of the runners who finished the 2013 ING NYC Marathon! Thanks for the inspiration.

Meet Ashley

Welcome to Running Bun! I am Ashley, a working-mom who loves running and training for races, attempting yoga inversions, a strong cocktail, and a good dose of sarcasm. This blog is where I share a lot of random thoughts about the above with some parenting woes mixed in for good measure.